[lbo-talk] IT programmers and creeping fascism

[Wojtek Sokolowski]

> One sort of positive affect of the downturn, is that computer
programmers of
> a libertarian bent are finally starting to wake out of their Wired(TM)
> stupour, and realise that they're being screwed just as surely as
smoke
> stack old economy employees. Okay some of them still cling desperately
to
> neoclassical 101 dogma in an attempt to explain why the deserve to be
> crushed (why do people do this?), but others are starting to question
> things. I had hoped that the result might be to push tech workers into
> thinking about unionisation, or a more left-leaning perspective on the
world
> (and realise that their rather lowly position in the class structure).
> However, based upon personal observation, they seem to be moving to
> something closer to fascism. They've kept their sort of libertarian,
> individualistic, outlook (mixed with market fundamentalism) - but
they've
> added to this a hatred of both immigrants and workers in places like
> Bangalore - while manufacturing a conspiracy in big government to sell
their
> jobs abroad. Am I just on the wrong mailing lists, or is this a
general
> trend? It seems like the kind of thing which could be easily
manipulated
> into something rather ugly.

I was arguing along the same lines on this forum before.  In short:
Upward mobility blocked by institutional barriers in an expanding
economy => leftism and embracing of universal rights;
Downward mobility in a contracting economy => fascism and embracing of
scapegoating and protectionist measures.

Western IT programmers clearly fit the second pattern.

Wojtek